Four Things You Must Do If You Want God In It

We can all agree; we want God to be in all areas of our lives!

From our marriages and relationships to our businesses and careers, we want GOD IN IT. But how do we know if God is fully involved and engaged in our lives? Have you ever asked yourself specifically about a situation, struggle, or even an ambitious plan, Is God in it?

Here are a few points drawn from the Gospel’s biographical sketches of one of the key moments in Jesus’ life and ministry, the feeding of the 5,000. I believe what we glean can be applied to our lives to help us know with certainty of any area of our lives, it’s got GOD IN IT:

1. Don’t ignore the NEED or the PROBLEM. Every miracle starts with a problem. The first step to getting God involved is taking time to acknowledge and identify the need or problem you are facing. You have not because you ask not. God already knows your need and problem, but He is waiting for you to bring them before Him. Stop complaining about the problem and start giving it to God.

Then Jesus lifted up His eyes and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread that these may eat?” But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. -John 6:5-6 (NKJV)

2. ACCEPT help. More often than not, God will use other people as a part of any miracle in your life. Resisting help from others can abort your miracle in its infancy. Unfortunately, pride can frequently not only stand in our way of asking for help, but it can also stop us from accepting help when it is offered. Pride can be the sin standing in your way of seeing God move in your life. And, don’t forget, sometimes the help will show up in an unlikely package, like a boy holding a sack lunch. So... Don’t be afraid to ask for help, and always accept what God is making available.

“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?” -John 6:9 (John 6:9 (NKJV)

3. Be willing to start in LACK. Repeatedly in Scripture, we see that miracles start in lack, not abundance. You may not feel like you can do what God asks you to do, BUT God can work through our lack and make it abundant. Being willing to start in lack is a test of your faith, obedience, and trust in God. When God is in it, little is much.

“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?” -John 6:9 (John 6:9 (NKJV)

4. Get outside of YOUR CIRCLE. Because we enjoy comfort zones, it is very easy to get stuck in one circle or group. The crowd was broken into seated groups of 100’s and 50’s. No doubt, the rows of people turned into circles. It is likely, each group contained people that were familiar with each other. When the disciples started distributing handfuls of bread and fish, they were battling uncertainty of how the miracle would unfold. In such a situation, it is human nature to gravitate to a group with familiar people. Doing the math, we can calculate that each disciple would have been assigned to serve five to ten groups. But, the only way the miracle kept happening was if they kept moving, pollinating new circles with the miraculous! This example teaches us, don’t get stuck in a circle or comfort zone when you’re experiencing a miracle of ‘not-enough’ turned into ‘more-than-enough.’ Keep moving! God may be calling you outside of your comfort zone, outside of your immediate circle, so that He can use you to serve multiple people in many different circles. Don’t limit your reach. Don’t get stuck in a clique. Get outside of your ‘four and no more’ mentality and let God keep working through you.

Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups, in hundreds and in fifties. -Mark 6:39-40 (NKJV)

There will be times in your relationship with God that He asks you questions for which He already knows the answers.

Jesus knew what He wanted to do before the disciples even brought Him the five loaves and two fish. He took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it back to the disciples. The bread most likely tasted the same, smelled the same, and even looked the same. But it was the PROCESS of the taking, breaking, blessing, and giving it back that changed everything.

In your relationship with God, you will repeatedly have to submit to the same process.

Taken. Blessed. Broken. Given

Can you think of a time in your life when you have been taken, blessed, or broken? In this season, your life probably looked the same to the outside eye, with the exception that from a spiritual standpoint, you had been through the process: taken, blessed, broken, and given. The five loaves and two fish were not enough UNTIL they had been through the process. But out of this process, miracles happened, and blessings ran over.

Jesus Himself was taken from heaven, blessed with an incredible ministry, and His body broken on the cross. He went through this process so He could be given to us! He wanted to be in every area of your life!

He wanted to be God in it.

There is so much more included in this message when engaged in its entirety, and I hope you will give it a listen. You can view this message here: https://youtu.be/O9hd198smOQ

WATCH IT | DISCUSSION GUIDE | MESSAGE NOTES

Go The Extra Mile

One of the most controversial statements Jesus ever made in His preaching ministry may have been Matthew 5:41, “And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.” Why? Because Jesus was speaking directly to an issue the Jewish people had with the Roman Empire.

During the time of Jesus’ ministry, Israel was under the control of the Roman Empire, and as a part of Roman rule, Romans could order any Jewish person to carry their goods for up to one mile. Some Israeli tour guides teach during visits to the Holy Land that the disdain for this Roman practice led Jewish people to purposely mark off one mile in each direction of their homes so that they never had to carry the goods further than the required mile. And, yet, during his infamous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus dares to say to the Jews, if someone compels you to go one mile, don’t stop, go two!

Jesus was communicating with this statement that any follower of his ministry should be beyond helpful, friendly, and forgiving. Nothing has changed. Jesus’ statement is timeless. He still expects his followers to go above and beyond in our service to others. We are to leave a positive and lasting impression when serving others; especially, those who do not share our same beliefs. This Heavenly expectation is upon us even in situations that we feel are difficult or that we don’t necessarily want to be in, because according to Paul this is how we win the respect of non-believers, “(live) your daily life (in such a way that you) may win the respect of outsiders…” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 NIV)

It doesn’t matter whether we are serving inside a church or going about our daily lives within our communities. As Christians, we must remember what Jesus commanded: Go the extra mile. Therefore, we are always to go above and beyond in service to others!

The second mile is more than a suggestion, it’s a command. Jesus wasn’t going to cut the Jewish people any slack on this command, and that goes for you and me as well.

The second mile is more than a good deed, it is an act of faith. Of course, it’s a good deed to go one mile, but faith is activated in the second mile. Never is this more true than when you're tired, exhausted, or already battling the enemy. It’s in the second mile we demonstrate our trust in God’s more excellent plan for our lives through our commitment to stay the course.

The second mile reveals who is really in control of your life. Are you in control of your life, or is God? What you do at the Mile Marker #1 will reveal a lot about your answer to this question!

Have you ever thought to yourself, I did this, so I deserve that? This thought process can lead to highly adverse outcomes and actions. This mindset is sinful, and it will cause you NEVER to reap the benefits of walking out the second mile. And, to speak bluntly, if we got what we deserved, we would all be thrown into Hell, the key tossed away, and we would be left to burn and die for all of eternity. Scripture teaches that the wages for sin are death, but the sacrifice of Jesus Christ saves you and me. God didn’t give us what we deserved! The Psalmist said it beautifully, “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him. (Psalms 103:1-11 NKJV)

As recipients of God’s Grace, we now do not interact with people based on what we judge them to deserve. Since we didn’t deserve salvation, but because God loves us above and beyond, He showed us forgiveness. This truth now provokes us to go the second mile, so everyone we meet can experience this same forgiveness.

The second mile is about allowing our desire to be transformed.

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” - Luke 9:23 (NKJV)

Jesus doesn’t stop at mile marker number one. He just keeps coming for you. If you want your desires to be transformed, you have to want what God has for you. Deny the parts of yourself that want to quit when it becomes hard to be helpful, friendly, and forgiving. Your service can have a transformative effect on the world today, especially in a world where people have forgotten how to serve others. You may NEVER get the glory for going the second mile, but remember you are doing the work of the Lord because as a Christian, all the credit goes to God.

The second mile is more about your destiny than your convenience. Convenience quits at mile number one. Comfort leaves at the basics of helpfulness, friendliness, and forgiveness and never goes above and beyond. When you enter mile two, you are entering into the will of God for your life because you are walking out the Word of God in your life.

And, your story is just getting started at mile marker number two. So many people never go to the next level in their spiritual lives because they come up with all the excuses and things they think they deserve, then fall prey to self-entitlement and worldly conveniences. Then, they stop serving God before even getting to one mile, much less mile marker number two.

Choose to be someone who lives your life in a way that wins outsiders to the Lord by demonstrating the power within going the second mile. Don’t just choose to blend in, be beyond helpful, friendly, and forgiving!

Go THE SECOND MILE in everything you do!

There is so much more included in this message when engaged in its entirety, and I hope you will give it a listen. You can view the message in its entirety at this link:

You can view the message in its entirety at this link: https://youtu.be/d3eVOmc5Ypg

WATCH IT | DISCUSSION GUIDE | MESSAGE NOTES

How To Know Something Is Worth Fighting For

Last week, in the message, Is It Time To Flee?, we discussed how the Bible gives precise instructions on when we are to FIGHT and when we are to FLEE.

But you, O man of God, FLEE these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. FIGHT the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called, and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. - 1 Timothy 6:11-12 (NKJV)

Sometimes there is a need to get involved in a fight on behalf of our faith, but we can not enter that battle haphazardly or casually -- we must move forward with intentionality. And a significant part of choosing to fight spiritual battles with intentionality is choosing to “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:10 NKJV)

No one can put on the armor of God for you; it’s something you must do yourself.

Memorize the armor elements and pray through their placement in your life daily, the helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, loins girded with Truth, the sword of the Spirit, and feet Shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. God has called and commissioned you to fight the GOOD FIGHT of faith, and you must be equipped for battle, “Fight the GOOD FIGHT of faith…” (1 Timothy 6:12 NKJV)

There are two kinds of spiritual fights that exist, one is the good fight, and one is the bad fight. Let’s examine examples of the differences between the two.

BAD FIGHT vs. GOOD FIGHT

PERSONAL RECOGNITION vs. GOD’S GLORY

PERSONAL OPINION vs. GOD’S TRUTH

PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE vs. GOD’S PLAN

PERSONAL PREFERENCE vs. GOD’S PRESENCE

PROVE A POINT vs. BLESS OTHERS

TEAR DOWN vs. BUILD-UP

HURT OTHERS vs. HELPS OTHERS

POLITICAL IDEOLOGY vs. SOUND DOCTRINE

We best sum this up by saying that a GOOD FIGHT happens when we fight for others, not against them.

• Hell’s PLOT: We fight each other.

• God’s PLAN: We fight for each other.

It is not God’s plan for us to be fighting each other; we are to be fighting for each other! Why? Because we do not wrestle against FLESH and BLOOD, we wrestle against powers and principalities! Yes, you may be dealing with a personality, but that personality is hosting spiritual darkness. Never lose sight of that truth. It will help you to keep the fight from becoming personal.

When the enemy uses people to come against us, hard conversations become unavoidable. But, unfortunately, those conversations can often feel like a fight. So, how do you have the necessary discussions and maintain a good fight, not a bad fight?

When HARD CONVERSATIONS must take place, follow this strategy:

1. CONVERSE PRIVATELY FIRST

Moreover, if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. - Matthew 18:15 (NKJV)

2. SPEAK TRUTH IN LOVE

...no longer be children… carried about with every wind of doctrine...but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in Christ-

-Ephesians 4:14-15 (NKJV)

3. FILL YOUR SPEECH WITH GRACE

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. -Colossians 4:6 (NKJV)

4. OFFER BLESSING, NOT CURSING

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse…” If your enemy is...thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” -Romans 12:12, 20 (NKJV)

At the best you can do, there will still be moments when you recognize a SPIRITUAL fight is becoming increasingly PERSONAL. I borrow Paul’s recommendations for suggesting your next step, “Now I urge you, brethren, NOTE those who cause divisions and offenses...and AVOID them. (Romans 16:17 NKJV)

The takeaway of that verse is that sometimes, when dealing with challenging personalities, we have to take good notes (if you’ve ever been through a legal battle, you know what I’m talking about!), and on occasions, altogether avoid them.

Another way of saying it is that sometimes we have to understand that there will be personality conflicts with people. However, we can still love and bless them while simultaneously setting healthy boundaries, so that offense and bitterness do not take root within our hearts.

It’s essential to align our battle strategies with God’s instructions because the result will be something we can celebrate, “I want you to be wise in what is GOOD… And the God of peace will CRUSH Satan under your feet shortly.” (Romans 16:17-18 NKJV)

Give God praise! This approach is how you will win! It’s amazing what happens when you stop trying to fight your way -- the bad fight -- and fight God’s way -- the good fight!

“Fight the GOOD FIGHT of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called…” (1 Timothy 6:12). In this letter, Paul is telling Timothy to fight the GOOD FIGHT. Years later, Paul writes another letter stating, “I have fought the GOOD FIGHT, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7 NKJV)

• I HAVE FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT. I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH!

Don’t you want that proclamation to be your testimony?

Your kids are worth fighting for... your family is worth fighting for... your calling is worth fighting for… God’s church and God’s truth -- sound doctrine is worth fighting for... Don’t stop fighting! Fight the GOOD FIGHT, it won’t come cheap, and you may have to sacrifice your pride, personal recognition, and even personal preference at times. But, I challenge you to realize that there is no more remarkable testimony than to say, “I have kept the faith, I have fought the GOOD FIGHT, God CRUSHED the enemy under my feet!

You can view the message in its entirety at this link: https://youtu.be/smWkQi0Gu9o

WATCH IT | DISCUSSION GUIDE | MESSAGE NOTES